Do you have what it takes?

During September we have looked at Online Teaching and Learning, hopefully, from potential students’ and teachers’ perspective. Beginning with misconceptions and determining what it takes to learn OR teach online. Do you have the skills to be successful?
April made us think about the message we are conveying when we use humor. She gave us concrete [...]

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VOCAL Online Facilitators

No, this isn’t about how loud or outspoken online facilitators should be; it’s a model for successful online teaching. One of the first reading assignments in our Facilitating Online Learning Communities course is “BE VOCAL: Characteristics of Successful Online Instructors.” VOCAL is an acronym for

Visible
Organized
Compassionate
Analytical
Leader-by-example

Visibility is about social presence, how much participants are aware of [...]

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Yeah but is it HaHa Funny?

There are hundreds if not thousands of guides on how to be a great online student or teacher. As a matter of fact, PLS offers a course on how to be a better facilitator (DFS). Therefore, my post will be brief today.
Thank you.
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Or not.
You see, what we forget is that to interact, diffuse tense situations, [...]

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What is it about online?

When I tell people I work online and work from home, the first reaction is usually “Oh, I would love to do that!” Followed by “You get to work whenever you want AND in your pajamas! That’s challenging to my thinking given I am more likely to be working in a suit jacket than a pajama [...]

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